SPREAD THE FLAME
The Nature of Fire is to Spread…
I was 20 years old—younger than my own child now—when I first heard the name “Vesta.” It was my first travel experience abroad, and I found myself in a unknown place that, many years later, I would come to know very well… the Roman Forum. While cluelessly walking among the ruins, I met a woman burning a candle in front of a few standing columns, something that struck small-town me as an incomprehensibly exotic thing to do.
It was she who first told me about those columns—columns that once housed the sacred flame of Vesta in its hearth—and ignited a passion that would last a lifetime. She even gave me the old beeswax candle she was burning, one that her family had used to honor the flame for years, as the “best souvenir” of Italy. I still remember her words. I still have her candle, too. It was her way of “spreading the flame.” Now, it’s one way that I do the same.
Where It Started for Me
It was here—in the Roman Forum, in front of these columns—that I first heard the name “Vesta.”
These columns are, of course, the recovered columns of the Temple of Vesta. You can get a sense of the temple’s original circular structure, and imagine the sacred hearthfire burning inside.
You can see the Palatine Hill in the background, with happy tourists looking down into the Forum—and directly onto the Temple of Vesta—just as the emperors of Ancient Rome once did.
My “Vestal” Candle
This is the old milk-glass candle holder I received at the temple in 1989. It is definitely the “best souvenir” of Italy I’ve ever gone home with. I now call this my vintage Vestal candle, since the white glass drapes the flame like a Vestal’s stola draped a priestess.
Inside the container is very dark amber hand-poured beeswax. It’s old and sooty, with bits of debris (bee bits?) and wax blooms. But to me, its age only makes it more meaningful. This photo was taken on March 1, 2014. I had placed a photograph of the Temple of Vesta—taken shortly after it was excavated in the late 19th century—behind the lit candle, and was delighted to see the flame’s reflection in the glass right where the sacred fire once burned.
Relighting the Flame…
To preserve this special candle, I only light it once a year—March 1st, the date the Vestals renewed the sacred fire in the temple.
Once it is burning, I make an offering and a libation, and I say some ancient Latin words in honor of the ancient flame and in solidarity to those who burned this candle before I did.
I then dip a number of wooden wicks into its flame, thus transferring the spirit of the old flame into new wicks that I can pass on to like-minded people… not so differently than how the original candle was passed on to me.
A Glowing Vestal Candle With Freshly Burned Wooden Wicks
And here is my vintage Vestal candle glowing, just after having lit a number of wooden wicks now waiting for their new homes.
Spreading the Flame . . .
Although some people make their own candles using these pre-lit wicks, most simply re-light the burnt end of the wooden wick and then use it to light the wicks of their purchased candles—as in this photograph.
In so doing, they transfer the spirit of the ancient flame to their modern candles. They can light as many candles as they want this way, perhaps even spreading the flame to the candles of their family and friends.
Candle Burns / Readings by Vesta’s Flame
Also on March 1st, I scoop out some of the old melted beeswax from my vintage candle. I then add a smudge to the wick of the candles that I use to perform my candle burns / readings, including the custom ones that I perform for others. That way, when a person receives their custom candle burn / reading (in video form), they know that the flame they see burning is a special one.
This is another way to spread the flame and the spirit of Vesta, and to reach people who love the old ways and the old gods.
You Too Can See and Spread Vesta’s Flame
If you are so inclined, you can help spread that fire called Vesta simply by lighting a candle and seeing the goddess’s face in the living flame.
If you want to add a greater sense of history and community to this, you can reach out to see if I have any of my pre-lit wooden wicks left—the ones I light every March 1st with my vintage Vestal candle.
When you light your candles with this wooden wick, you burn the same flame that burned at the site of the ancient temple. You can then use this wick, and the wicks of your candles, to further “spread the flame” to other people who similarly feel drawn to the old ways.
In so doing, we are both spreading the flame. Moreover, you are connecting with these like-minded people. But not just with them. You are also connecting with the millions of people throughout history who have found meaning and community by honoring the flame both privately and together: the great Caesars, the Vestal priestesses, the soldiers, the senators, and the ordinary men, women and children of ancient Rome for whom Vesta was a part of daily life.
So by all means, contact me to request one. I’ll email you a special PDF to prepare for its arrival, and send it in the mail in a pretty notecard. Please note, however, that I can’t promise to have any wicks on hand, since I only light a handful each March 1st. But you could always request one for the next relighting!
And Always Remember…
Vesta’s Eternal Flame is just that, and it has continued to be honored throughout the centuries by those who recognize its beauty and power. Against the backdrop of the modern pagan resurgence, those numbers continue to grow. If I can help you welcome her into your life, I’m happy to do it. But you don’t need me or anyone else. Any candle, any wick, any flame can embody her spirit if you want it to! And if you think it might be helpful, visit the Vesta Today page for simple but meaningful rituals to immerse yourself in this beautiful religion, especially if you’re new to it.